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Tuesday, June 25, 2013

The Pope skipped a recent concert (see details here). People were told that the Pope was not ill, but that he had an “urgent task that cannot be put off but must be dealt with at the present moment.”

Some Italian news sources, and English language bloggers did an in depth analysis of the empty chair, filling in blanks and inventing dots to drive a line to go in a way that fit a particular narrative - that the Holy Father was thumbing his nose at this tradition. Or, at least leading the reader in that direction.

There is never a danger in quietly accepting, at face value, an explanation given by someone in a case like this. It's called virtue.

There is a danger to idle speculation that dismisses an explanation given. It's called gossip.

Consider that the first thing we must do to dismiss the given explanation is to presume someone is lying.

I'm just sayin'

For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Sunday, June 23, 2013

The photos from Saturday's, Helpers of God's Precious Infants Prayer Vigil for Life, are nearly complete. I hope to have them up in a day or two, so check back.

It was a decent turn out at close to 100 for the June vigil, which is often the lowest attended due to vacations.
For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

I am not an avid reader, but I'm trying to spend more time reading. As I complete good books, I will try to post on them for you to consider. I do much more reading since getting a Kindle Reader. I actually have two - a Kindle Fire and one of the earlier, graphite screens that I keep for reading outdoors. Now they have the Kindle Paper White, which also reads well outdoors. I also have the free Kindle software downloaded on all my devices. On a PC, it is great for quoting since limited text can also be copied and pasted - a great thing for research papers, or blogging. But, I've also read Kindle books on my laptop in my recliner.

I will be suggesting to Amy, who runs the Grotto gift shop, to get this book in there. Don't hesitate to ask her to order and reserve you a copy this weekend.

A REVIEW: THE PRICE TO PAY

The Price to Pay: A Muslim Risks All to Follow Christ was recommended to me by one of the canons at Assumption Grotto. He was trying to get me the hard copy, but another priest was reading it. I decided to get the Kindle version. When I finished, I loaned the e-book out to another priest at Grotto. Yes - Kindle books can be loaned out, but just once, and for 14 days - a period in which the owner is temporarily locked out. I can guarantee you that if you get this book, you won't be needing 14 days.

The hardcover of this Ignatius Press book just over 230 pages.

The Price to Pay grabs you by the seat of your pants right on the first page and doesn't let go until you are done. It begins in Iraq in the late 1980's with a Muslim man from a tribe with considerable esteem who encounters an Iraqi Catholic while in mandatory military service. Without spoiling it, suffice it to say, that after initially having a serious aversion to the guy, he has an experience that will change his life forever.

The man lived to write about his epic and heroic journey into Catholicism. In fact, it wasn't a journey, it was a roller-coaster ride, running at a fast pace, with many ups and downs. As one priest said, "if you didn't know he survived, you'd have a heart-attack reading the book."

Throughout the book you see God initiating contact with a man who has no knowledge of Christianity, much less Catholicism, other than the false notions served to him by his anti-christian culture. You then see a man's free-will response to each grace God sends him. Divine providence is visible so many times throughout the book, I lost count.

The book is ultimately hope-filled and triumphant. It was fascinating to see how some people today pursue Jesus and His Church with the boldness of yesterday's first Christians. His thirst for Baptism and the Eucharist catapulted me into an examination of conscience of a very different kind. He wanted badly to share his new found faith with his family in a country where certain death awaits one who converts from Islam to Christianity. Among the many virtues visibly infused by God, is long-suffering as he must wait years to get the sacraments of which he desires. The book makes us think about the subtle and various ways we do not want to live our faith in the open, perhaps because family and friends will think less of us, or even reject us. If getting to Mass is a struggle, our excuses will seem quite lame in contrast to all this man went through just to go to Sunday Mass.

There is a price to pay for following Christ. Joseph Fadelle shows us how high that price can be for some people as his picks up his cross and carries it. His story is sure to increase your faith. It also reminds us to pray fervently for Christians in the middle east and in other countries where religious freedom is non-existent.

Get this book! I especially recommend it for late teens and young adults who are faced with some of the highest pressures of the world, the flesh, and the devil.
For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Sunday, June 16, 2013

While it is good to give flowers and gifts to a living father on Father's Day, don't forget to pray for your dad. Flowers will pass in a matter of days, but prayers last forever.

My father was truly a devout Catholic. My mother was not practicing regularly when they met, and when he proposed to her, he told her she would have to agree to let him raise us Catholics. She agreed. He followed through his promise of never pushing her to go to Mass, but he said it didn't take very long for her to ask if she could come. My parents never missed Sunday Mass unless they were half dead, and that included on vacations. Even after dad died, the day after the feast of St. Francis in 1991, mom continued to go to Sunday Mass unless she was half dead.

Both of my parents were blessed to die with the final Sacraments. Dad prayed for a, "happy death" with his daily Rosary that he also prayed for all of us kids. No doubt, my faith benefited from his efforts, and all those Rosaries are still working on me.

Dad admonished me many times to never presume anyone was in heaven because we then find no reason to pray for their soul, which may be in purgatory (see scriptural and catechetical explanation here). He urged me to pray for the dead no matter how holy they seemed. I once asked him what happens to those prayers if the person is already in heaven. He smiled and said, "the poor souls, for whom there is no one to pray for, will benefit from them." It's a win-win situation.

So, amidst all the nice and cute things floating around the web today, pray for you fathers, especially for those who have left this life. May the all behold the face of God.

While you can pray in your own words, or pray a simple Hail Mary or Our Father, it might be good to look through some of the Catholic prayers written for this purpose, some by saints long ago. These are rich theologically and poetically. This site offers prayers in latin and english. No doubt, the english doesn't do the latin justice poetically, but you get the idea.

Attached is the e-flyer for the next Helpers of God's Precious Infants Prayer Vigil for Life.

The vigil will be on June 22nd and will be led by Bishop Michael Byrnes beginning with 7:30 am Holy Mass at St. Barnabas Catholic Church in Eastpointe, MI.

After the mass we will proceed to St. Veronica Church in Eastpointe, and there begin the Rosary procession to two nearby abortion mills on E. 8 Mile Rd.

The prayer vigil concludes by returning to St. Barnabas for the Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament at 10:15am.

After the mass we will proceed to St. Veronica Church in Eastpointe, and there begin the Rosary procession to two nearby abortion mills on E. 8 Mile Rd.

The prayer vigil concludes by returning to St. Barnabas for the Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament at 10:15am. Refreshments will be served immediately after.Please help spread the word by posting the flyer in your emails, blogs, websites, etc., to invite your families, friends, pastors and parishes. You may also print copies and distribute by hand or mail.On behalf of "the Helpers," and vulnerable mothers and babies who are in danger of abortion, please accept our sincerest thanks for your continued support.You are needed - and we hope and pray to see you on June 22!

Here is the back of the flyer. It is a collection of photos from the last major vigil, and was led by Archbishop Vigneron.

For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Thursday, June 13, 2013

I usually do not do full wedding photo packages, but will sometimes augment the bride and groom's photo collection with some extras, especially for friends. I'm not a trained photographer: My group shots and wedding party shots always come out lousy. And, most of my work is done without flash. That is why I usually do not take on solo work as a photographer at these events. Photography is a hobby for me as I have another profession by day.

Kevin and Amy joined Assumption Grotto last year and can often be seen at the 9:30 AM Mass in the extraordinary form. With their permission, I share some of these photos here on the blog.

Kevin blogs at Common Sense Catholicism, and I recommend you follow him. You might find him lurking in the gym vestibule after the Mass on some Sundays enjoying something from the Grotto-grill. Kevin enjoys apologetics discussions, and you will find him well read (look out, Kevin!)

The Wedding

In the 1962 Missal, vows are exchanged right at the beginning so they go through the Mass as husband and wife.

Fr. Paul Czarnota of St. Angela Parish in Roseville, came to Grotto to perform the ceremony. He was Kevin's pastor while at St. Josaphat in Detroit.

Kevin brought in Wassim Sarweh, known in Detroit and Windsor "Tridentine" circles for his beautiful chant. He was close enough to the rail for me to get this shot, so you can put a face to that voice.

Long after the honeymoon is over and life puts ordinary bumps in a married couple's road, they need to remember where the marriage began, and before Whom it took place.

At Assumption Grotto, the bride and groom always walk over to the Blessed Mother's altar after the Mass and lay a bouquet of flowers there, while offering a prayer.

Ad multos annos!

Now, I'm going to show a few extra shots taken outdoors to give future brides and grooms, and their photographers, ideas. Since we have the outdoor grotto in the cemetery, it can make for a nice backdrop, as can some of the surrounding greenery. You would never know these were taken in a cemetery.

The weather forecast was just awful. It was supposed to be the worst in a stretch of rainy, stormy days. The wedding was at 1:30 and we were taking pics outside around 3:15 without a drop in sight. They were blessed with very nice weather.

Shot 1: Walking up the path towards the grotto

Grotto and angel in the background.

This was taken at the St. Peter rock, shown at top. They were looking at the real photographer in this one.

And, this was the photographer's idea (after we brushed off the marble Kevin sat on just outside the grotto sanctuary).

Monday, June 10, 2013

I received an email from someone informing me that Nadine Brown has passed away. She founded the Intercessors of the Lamb, now suppressed by the Church, which I wrote quite a bit about some years ago.

The person who wrote me was quite distressed over my past writings. He brought up the clerical sex scandals and related cover ups and told me I was following bishops blindly in my support of Archbishop Lucas in the matter. Here is my response to him:

Dear ----------,

Thank you for informing me of Nadine Brown's death. May God grant her eternal rest. I'll remember her in my intentions today. I am glad to hear that Nadine Brown continued in her Catholic faith at Our Lady of Lourdes parish, from where she was buried.

I regret that you experienced what you did in seminary. I'm not unaware that these things have happened, as I had read the book, Goodbye, Good Men by Michael S. Rose which describes the very culture you talk about in seminaries. I know priests who suffered through that gauntlet, barely making it through to ordination. These things are clearly wrong, but we don't judge the Church, which was founded by Jesus Christ, on the sins of men who have God-given free will to choose a sinful path, and still others who would choose a sinful coverup rather than hold those responsible, accountable.

Judas was a priest, called by Jesus. He too had free-will and God permitted him to turn on Jesus out of greed. But, there were 11 other Apostles who, as weak as they were, did not turn on Jesus in sinful greed. Thanks be to God people didn't condemn the young Church for the sins of Judas, or refrain from hearing the other Apostles, projecting the blame for Judas on them. Just as those apostles didn't deserve to have the blame for Judas projected on to them, today's bishops and priests don't deserve to have the guilt of clerics who committed sins that cry out to heaven, projected on to them. Sure, there are guilty parties and while they may escape justice here on earth, they will not escape the Just Judge, from whom nothing can be hidden.

While in your woundedness you may project blame on all bishops for the sins of a few, I can't go down that path. "Do what they say, not what they do," were the words of our Lord in reference to sinful leaders.

I understand that you disagree with my writings in support of Archbishop Lucas. You are free to do that, but I stand by what I wrote back then. What you don't know is what was in, and remains in my heart. I think Nadine Brown was a victim of sorts herself. She was a victim of not getting proper oversight for her fledgling community. I'm not going to judge the predecessor of Archbishop Lucas because I do not know the circumstances surrounding this apparent lack of oversight, and whether he had tools to do that. Many new communities were emerging in those days and with their focus on a more traditional religious life, I'm sure some bishops were glad to welcome them, unaware of problems in need of addressing before they could become entrenched. In the case of the Intercessors, I believe this caused many more people to be hurt when things were found to be out of harmony with certain aspects of how religious communities are to be formed. Had intervention happened sooner, Brown may have been more open to changes needed to bring community life into harmony with the Vatican process. Either the community would have faded out of existence early on if it could not right itself, or it would have formed properly and blossomed into something much richer.

I am glad to see the community which emerged from the suppressed Intercessors of the Lamb, now called, the Brides of the Victorious Lamb, recognized by the Church. They continue under the guidance of Archbishop Lucas there in Omaha. I was aware of some of the training they went through by some very solid theologians. This gave the many an opportunity to see if religious life, as envisioned by the Church, would work for them in this particular charism. I understand some have pursued life in other communities, or continued on in secular life. May God grant all of them peace and enlightenment.

I ask all of you to pray for the repose of the soul of Nadine Brown. May God grant unto her, eternal rest, and let perpetual light shine upon her.

Please, also pray for all former members of the suppressed Intercessors of the Lamb no matter where they are or what they are doing. These people all desired to pursue God in a religious vocation and should be recognized for their willingness to sacrifice their lives in this way. When a vocational pursuit comes to an end, regardless of how it happens, it can have devastating impacts to one's life and faith. In many cases, people give up careers, homes, and much more, to follow a vocation. If it doesn't pan out, they must work through many material, emotional, and spiritual challenges.

Here is a photo of some of the religious sisters of the church sanctioned community, the Brides of the Victorious Lamb. They are small in number, but well formed. I understand some of the priests who were with the community have gone to dioceses to work. Keep them also in your prayers.

I am closing comments on this post because, as my blog will show with so few posts of late, I'm swamped with a number of projects, including ordinary home care, that I have not had as much time to devote to the blog. I hope to be posting more regularly in the coming weeks. For now, a post here and there.

Any other updates on former members, please feel free to contact me at TeDeumBlog (at) gmail (dot) com. I can't guarantee I will reply to all emails, but I will read through them.

Friday, June 7, 2013

Today is the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I have written some detailed posts in the past. You can read them if you scroll here.

I have an affection for vintage holy cards. The level of detail in them shows how much love went into them. This one came from a site named after the Sacred Heart where there are more vintage cards for the day.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, make my heart like unto thine!

I have some photos from a wedding last weekend in process. I should have them posted this weekend. I've been deeply engrossed in finishing an important project on a deadline. God-willing, I'll get to share it with you some months from now.

For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Monday, June 3, 2013

From yesterday's Corpus Christi procession at Assumption Grotto. I did not have my main camera, but did take a few shots with my iPhone and some short video. One of those clips is in my Facebook profile here.

A few years ago, I made this slideshow video set to the Sanctus of Josquin de Prez in his Missa Panis Angelicus. Many altar boys have since grown ... not a little - lol. The priest carrying the monstrance is Fr. Aidan Logan, OCso - a Cistercian who visits almost yearly.

I still have some big projects on my plate (both desk and house). I'll try to blog a little more frequently. It's just so much easier to share something in Facebook with a single click, or Twitter. You can find my profiles in the upper right corner if you want to follow.
For interesting news items I don't have time to blog on, check out my Twitter Feed: @TeDeumBlog

Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron

St. John of the Cross

Dark Night of the Soul (2.2:3)...

"...the devil causes many to believe in vain visionsand false prophecies; and strives to make them presumethat God and the saints are speaking with them; and they often trust their own fancy. And the devil is also accustomed, in this state, to fill them with presumption and pride, so that they become attracted by vanity and arrogance, and allow themselves to be seen engaging in outward acts which appear holy, such as raptures and other manifestations. Thus they become bold with God, and lose holy fear, which is the key and the custodian of all the virtues; and in some of these souls so many are the falsehoods and deceits which tend to multiply, and so inveterate do they grow, that it is very doubtful if such souls will return to the pure road of virtue and true spirituality."